Start Up: Martin Freeman, Adam Brody, and Edi Gathegi Lead a Gritty, High-Pressure Netflix Crime Drama That Feels Like Ozark Colliding Full-Force with The Sopranos

 If you’re craving a dark, addictive crime saga to vanish into, Netflix has just delivered the one. Start Up, the new 10-part thriller starring Martin Freeman, Adam Brody, and Edi Gathegi, has exploded onto watchlists this week, with viewers calling it the perfect collision of Ozark‘s ruthless ambition and The Sopranos‘ moral decay. Dropped quietly on Friday, the series has already rocketed to No. 2 globally with 42 million hours viewed in 72 hours, and the internet is losing its mind. “It’s tense, morally twisted, and packed with razor-sharp shocks that hit harder every single episode,” one Reddit user posted in a thread with 28k upvotes. “Once you start, there’s no turning back – this is the crime drama everyone will be obsessed with by week’s end.”

Created by Ben Watkins (Burn Notice, Hand of God) and executive-produced by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer), Start Up follows Neal Lynch (Freeman), a disgraced London banker turned Miami money launderer who gets sucked into a South Florida crime syndicate run by the charismatic but lethal Ronnie Tate (Brody) and his enforcer Reggie (Gathegi). What begins as a desperate bid to pay off gambling debts spirals into a high-stakes game of betrayal, ambition, and dangerous alliances as Neal’s old life in the City collides with Miami’s underworld. “It’s Ozark in the sun,” Watkins told Variety. “But with the family dynamics and moral rot of The Sopranos.”

Freeman’s Neal is a revelation – a buttoned-up Brit whose quiet desperation masks a terrifying capacity for violence. “Neal thinks he’s the smartest man in every room – until he isn’t,” Freeman said at the premiere. Brody’s Ronnie is pure charm wrapped in menace, a Tony Soprano for the crypto age, while Gathegi’s Reggie is the loyal soldier whose devotion turns deadly. The supporting cast – Eve Myles as Neal’s estranged wife, T’Nia Miller as a ruthless FBI agent, and Charlie Heaton as a hacker prodigy – adds layers of tension and heartbreak.

Filmed in Miami and London, the series drips with sun-bleached noir: neon-lit clubs, pastel mansions hiding blood money, and boardrooms where deals are sealed with handshakes and handguns. The score – a mix of trap beats and orchestral dread by Atticus Ross – keeps the pulse racing. “Every episode ends with your jaw on the floor,” The Hollywood Reporter raved, awarding five stars. “Watkins has crafted a crime epic that feels both timeless and terrifyingly now.”

Viewers are hooked. #StartUpNetflix trended with 2.1 million posts, fans declaring “Episode 6 broke me” and “Freeman deserves every award.” The series has already sparked Ozark vs Sopranos debates, with most agreeing it carves its own lane. Netflix reports 42 million hours viewed in 72 hours, outpacing Squid Game in the U.S.

Start Up isn’t just a thriller – it’s a descent into the abyss of ambition. As Neal whispers in the finale, “We all start somewhere. Some of us never stop falling.” Stream now on Netflix. Your weekend plans? Cancelled.